The Spring Princess
by Alei-Frozen-Ruby
Summary: Shirahime Syo brings the icy snow of winter to the world. Harukahime Syo thaws the world, rejuvinating it and bringing the warmth of the sunrise, so that life might go on the Earth.
1. Touch of Healing

_Harukahime-syo, the Princess of Spring, comes to melt the icy winter of her cousin, Shirahime-syo. In this set of stories, the tragic tales from _Shirahime-syo_ are continued with a touch of warmth melting the ice of tradgedy._

Harukahime-Syo

Humboldt Penguin

Chapter 1

Prelude: Ringo Akai

**Touch of Healing**

The small girl lay fallen in the snow. Her small body shivered in the cold as she lay in the icy snow. Then she felt warmth seeping on the edge of the biting cold. Someone warm picked her up. The warmth flooded in and the girl stopped shivering and opened her eyes. She looked up and saw a woman's face looking down kindly at her.

The woman had delicate rosebud skin, white as snow, tinged with pink. Her lips were perfectly formed and her hair was black as night with sakura buds sewn in like little diamonds. The woman smiled kindly down at her, giving Ringo all the warmth she had to offer.

Ringo bowed her head. "Arigato, Refujin," Ringo said in a small voice.

"Child, everyone needs a bit of help every now and then," The woman replied softly.

Ringo stared up into the woman's eyes and was surprised to see that they were not brown or black, but field green. Clear bright green.

The woman broke Ringo's gaze and looked off into the landscape.

"What do you see, Reifujin?" Ringo asked.

"I see many things, dear child," The woman vaguely elaborated.

"But what do you see now, Reifijin?" Ringo asked tentatively.

"I see the time to rise," The woman replied.

"I see spring melting a path for summer to rise," the woman finished.

"But is not spring a season of its own?" Ringo asked.

The woman placed a pale slender finger to Ringo's small lips.

"Dear Child, speak not, for you are not yet recovered," The woman said in a soft but bright voice.

Ringo nodded and looked at the sakura blossoms in the woman's hair as the woman helped her up. Ringo looked at the woman's kimono and found that it was delicately formed for many rose petals.

The woman gently kissed Ringo's forehead and Ringo fell into blackness.


	2. Living Stone

Harukahime Syo

Golden Lion Tamarine

Chapter 2

Overture: Purin Fong

**Living Stone**

Taruto came to the ruins, hoping to meet his princess again. He sat down amongst the vines and flowers and waited on the crumbling stone blocks. He looked around, taking everything in as he had before. He looked around and found a grey blue statue a couple feet away..

Taruto stood and walked over to it, pushing vines out of his way. He stared at the face for it was that of Purin, of his princess. His heart nearly froze, it looked so lifelike. Almost as though Purin had been frozen in the blue stone.

Taruto circled the statue and touched it lightly on the arm. His eyes widened in shock as he quickly withdrew his hand. Was it just him or had the arm been warm?

Taruto gingerly placed his hand on the arm again. Warmth pulsed from the stony arm. Taruto's hand went stone cold.

"Purin?" He asked quietly.

The stautue stared blankly back at him.

Taruto placed a hand on her hair and felt Purin's soft golden locks instead of the stone it appeared to be. Grief welled up inside him.

"Purin, no," He whispered. Tears ran down his cheeks as he turned to run away.

Purin had been turned to stone.

He ran away from the ruins and down through the palace gardens. Taruto ran down stone pathways leaving a trail of scattered tears behind him. His heart had been shattered into a million pieces.

Who would turn such a loving and beautiful girl to stone?

Taruto tripped and fell at the foot of a different statue. He buried his face in his arms and cried harder. There was no way to get her back. No way to turn stone into human.

A light breeze blew by. "O broken soul, what is it that grieves your heart?" a soft voice asked. Taruto sat up a little. "My love has been frozen in stone," He said through sobs. "A- and I know n- not h-how t-to break the- the cu-urse!" Taruto wailed.

"Shh, dear child, all is not as it seems, for love is the greatest power of all. Give her the gift which she has not yet been given," the voice said soothingly as it dissolved into a soft gust of wind. "Give her that which she has not yet been given," the gust repeated as it swirled around Taruto and blew off into the distance.

The boy looked up to see who had spoken, but only sakura blossoms blowing in the wind were visible. One brushed up against his lips. He caught the blossom and looked at it. Taruto stood, feeling hope blossom inside him once more and ran back through the gardens, across the stone pathways, and back to the ruins.

He halted in front of Purin's statue, clutching the stitch in his side from the running. He looked up into her once chocolate brown eyes and then back down as he caught his breath. Taruto stood up. He held the sakura blossom in one hand and brushed Purin's cheek with the other. The statue's skin was soft and warm.

"Give her that which she has not yet been given," Taruto said to himself. He looked at the sakura blossom and then at Purin. His hand trailed from her cheek to her lips, which were stone cold. Taruto's hand closed around the sakura blossom and he stepped close to Purin.

Taruto leaned in and closed his. When his warm lips met her stony cold ones, he felt her burst to life. He broke off the kiss and looked at her. She was there, in the living flesh! Her golden sunshine hair and her warm chocolate brown eyes. "Taruto-kun!" Purin cried and threw her arms around him. Taruto opened his fist, picked her up and twirled her around in glee. The sakura blossom floated away on a light breeze. Purin buried her face in Taruto's shirt and cried.

Taruto hugged her close. "Why are you crying, my love?" He asked. "Because I'm so relieved that Tar-tar-kun came to rescue me!" Purin said, her voice muffled by the folds of his shirt. Taruto smiled as warmth flooded into his heart. He held her close and kissed her lightly on the top of her head.

"My, my, how quaint. Someone has managed to break my enchantment," A sneering voice echoed from above the pair. Purin gasped and looked up in fear, chills running up and down her spine. Bits of rock fell from above and Taruto protectively pushed Purin behind him as a dark figure leaped form the shadows.


	3. Friends of Wolves

Harukahime Syo

Blue Lorikeet

Chapter 3

First Movement: Minto Aizawa

**Friends of Wolves**

I am Minto Aizawa and my tale is not yet over. The past becomes oblivion and the present becomes the past. So I will tell of what happened after I came home.

I sat at home amidst the rubble, an angel crying silver tears. I heard snow crunching softly under light feet, and looked up through my tears. A small boy stood before me. He was like me, part animal. But instead of wings, he had the ears and tail of a wolf. He had beady golden eyes and pale skin, pale grey like the fur of Tasuku. The boy stood there, looking at me and I looked back at him, through my tears. Slowly, he began walking toward me. He came up to me and crouched down in front of me. The boy reached into a pouch at his side and pulled from it a soft, but thick piece of cloth. He wiped my tears away with it and then gave it to me to blow my nose, which I did. The tears still spilled from my eyes, but not so much as before.

Who was this boy that he reminded me so much of Tasuku? I cried again because Tasuku was dead, no longer to come to my aid or take care of me. No longer there to be my friend in a time of darkness. The boy looked up at me with his golden eyes.

"Are you an angel?" He asked in a small, but timid voice.

"Are you a wolf-child?" I answered a question with a question.

The boy sat down beside me. "Why are you crying?" He asked.

"All of my family, my friends animal and human are gone," I cried, more tears flowing down my cheeks.

"Don't worry, angel, it'll be ok," The child said and put his arms around her shaking shoulders. "All is not as hopeless as it seems," The boy continued. I looked up at him. "How do you know?" I asked. The boy stood and began to walk away.  
"Wait!" I called and went after him. Perhaps he knew where my mother was. I caught up with him.

"Are you coming with me, angel?" He asked. I nodded. "I suppose so," I said. "Then you will need your sword," The wolf-boy said. From behind he pulled out my silver sword. "How did you get that?" I asked in wonder. Sadness filled the boy's eyes for a moment, and then he turned away and began to walk. "Follow me," he said and so I did.

We walked through the biting cold and I watched him, trying to figure out just who he was. Certainly he was no wolf-boy, just as I was no angel. Perhaps he was a wolf, transformed into a boy. But no one would know. No one could tell, not even I.

I looked up at the rapidly darkening clouds. "It looks like a storm," I commented. The boy looked up at me and smiled for the first time. His fangs were pearly white and almost seemed to sparkle against the snowy background. "It's Shirahime Syo's final pass. After this comes the first day of spring," the boy said. I smiled. "Where will we find shelter?" I asked. "At the Thieves Castle," the wolf boy replied. I nodded. "You know, it occurs to me that I have no idea what your name is," I commented. "A question for a question, what is your name?" The boy asked. I smiled playfully. This kid was good.

"All right, you win. My name is Minto Aizawa, daughter of the great warrior Kensei Aizawa. Now tell me yours," I relinquished. The boy smiled. "I am Tsubasa, son of Tasuku, leader of the Southern Inu," Tsubasa said as we hurried along through the cold, hoping to beat the storm. "Tsubasa, that's a pretty name," I commented. "As are you, Aizawa-angel," Tsubasa commented as he looked back at me. Warmth flooded into me. If only that boy was a little bit older . . .

"Look, that's it!" Tsubasa exclaimed.

Minto looked up and saw a run down palace flooded with people. Her heart lifted. Within a crowd of so many people, surely one of those people was her mother! Minto smiled and began to run toward the castle. Tsubasa took off after her, running on all fours.


	4. Magic Melody

Harukahime Syo

Ande Cat and Amami Rabbit

Chapter 4

Crescendo: Berri Shirayuki

**Magic Melody**

The ghost girl floated down from the attic, carrying the old book, and went back down to the girl's room. The handsome boy had come back in through the window again and was watching her sleep. He'd eventually be her suitor. The ghost girl looked at herself in the mirror. Long dark green hair floated down from a thick scarlet headband with black ruffles. Her dress was late Victorian style, again, shaded red and black. The dress covered her feet and had she been human it would have dragged on the floor a bit. Her eyes were possibly the largest things on her face. They were big, green, and lonely. Her nose was petite and decidedly Asian and her mouth was rather small too. The ghost girl turned away from her reflection and focused again on the boy and the girl, Berri.

Stupid girl. Stupid beautiful girl. The ghost could see her tortured dreams. Could losing her melody be that bad? The ghost girl sighed. She'd give the melody back. But not before she'd used it. The ghost opened her mouth and began to sing.

_Come to me children_

_And follow my way_

Chilling winds blew in from the window. The shutters banged against the house wall and the glass panes thumped against the wall in their wooden frames. The boy shivered and knelt by Berri's bed. The ghost girl's voice reverberated around the room, echoing off the walls.

_Into a world_

_Of darkness and magic_

The wind blew old book (the ghost girl had left it on a table) open and blustered through the pages. Berri woke up from her bed and sat up, wide eyed. She looked down at Tasuku, who joined her in the bed.

_With all my power_

_I'll show you the way_

The wind circulated throughout the room, and moonlight shone on the ghost girl, and, for a moment, allowed the pair in the bed to see her in her misery. Berri gasped and clutched Tasuku's arm. Tasuku turned pale as the moonlight as the musically wailing voice echoed throughout the room.

_To all your dreams_

_Hopes and illusions . . ._

The wind abruptly ceased. The echo stopped. The ghost girl shimmered and vanished. The glowing melody left her throat and floated gently toward Berri and vanished into her throat. Silence and stillness filled the room. One page flipped in the old book on the table. Tasuku and Berri looked cautiously approached the book. Of all the names written in faded spidery scrawl, one was written in red. Yuuri Regina.


End file.
